La rentrée
May 25, 2009I don’t want to sound GC (that’s grade conscious for you), but I’m currently stocking up for the coming semester. Hahaha! I’m reading a lot of e-books and journals that have something to do with the subjects I’m going to take: Natural Science 4 (Earth: Our Habitat), Natural Science 50 (Molecules to Man), STS (Science, Technology and Society), and Development Studies 126 (International Aspects of Philippine and Third World Development). I’m also going to take Speech 11 (Voices of Literature) and Badminton, but I don’t I think I have to “study” them in the same sense as I’m doing with the others.
On the outset it seems that I had much choice regarding my subjects (including their schedules!) NS 4 – I really didn’t have much choice about this. I remember logging this in my ESF just because of its cool course name. A friend told me that NS 4 is similar to Geology 11, one of the subjects I took when I was still in Biochemistry. I have a Tarbuck book (the standard DPSM textbook on earth science courses) and my Geo 11 notes are still intact and legible so I wouldn’t be having much trouble with this subject. But that means a redundancy in what I have learned. If I had my own way, I’m would change NS 4 to NS 5 (Sustainable Development) instead. Too bad, my preferred NS 5 professor’s (Prof. Lacdan) schedule is in conflict with my other subjects. Looks like I’m stuck with this one.
NS 50 – Hahaha! I’m taking this subject because I feel like giving justice to my Biochem “past”. Honestly, I wonder why I ever got the Biochem slot, I mean, I’m not that intelligent, and I’m betting all my money that my lowest UPCAT scores were in the Math and Science portion of the exam. NS 50, from its course description, is more of conceptual overview of or introduction to biochemistry (biochemie sans les mathématiques, hope I got the translation right). When was still optimistic, approximately the first 2 months of my college life, I toyed with the idea of becoming an immunologist or something like that. There’s no remote chance that I’ll ever become one, but that I still like to read conceptual books and articles about the immune system, infectious diseases, epidemics… I hope we get to cover topics like that.
STS – I think it’s required of all students. The only choice I have, aside from its schedule, is the professor. And between Prof. Solano and others, it’s Solano, hands down! He was my Math 17 professor, and I’m forever indebted to him for giving me a passing grade (yeah, yeah, the computation of most DPSM grades are strictly objective, but there’s got to be some professor factor since I failed under my first Math 17 professor unlike in my second one). I don’t know how he handles the subject, but bet it’s going to be fun (his conduct of Math 17 was quite cool for a morbid subject). My target is to get a well-deserved 1.25+ in order to redeem myself. I’m no longer content to be just second – second poorest performing student in class, that is! Hahaha!
DS 126 – I’m taking that subject to fill the minimum required number of units to graduate with honors. Or should I say, to get a 10% chance of getting a GWA equivalent to 1.75 flat. My present GWA (I only computed the subjects in the BA Social Science curriculum) is around 1.78. I need to strike 1.5+ in all the 4 subjects I’m taking this semester just to reach 1.75 or overshoot a little (like… 1.74?) I don’t know if it’s possible and if my failed grades in NSTP and ComSci 11 would be the “disqualifying factors”. But then, even without the laude, relevant DS 126 knowledge and experience is always welcome.
Speech 11 – I still have an AH subject to finish. “Voices of Literature” sounds easier yet classier than “Speech Communication in English”. Again that’s me, choosing subjects on the basis of their course names! Hahaha! That gives you an idea how haphazard I am when it comes to decision making.
Badminton – I don’t know why I chose that. Maybe it was because avoiding a Philippine Games schedule under Prof. Israel (Prof. Israel was my professor in 2 of my PE subjects – remember that in UP, we are only required 4 PE subjects). Which reminds me – I gave away my badminton rackets last year in a charity drive.
So I’m reading and reading… I hope that gives you some idea why I named this blog Reading Station. I want to reach my target grades, but I’m not making a study-hard promise. All my college life I made it my incoming semester’s resolution not to cram or have good study habits but I eventually break it come the first 3 weeks of the semester. 1st semester, 4th year – I passed a crappy thesis proposal not worth a minute of formal thesis defense. 2nd semester, 4th year – I submitted an equally crappy essay on globalization and a book review (followed by 97 question marks and 102 exclamation points) on the last day of submission having done them the night before. God (not that I really believe in Him) knows what sort of cramming and instant paper generation short of plagiarism I’ll be doing just to meet deadlines this semester, which should be my last.
Better than promise that, I’ll just strive to live up to my motto: “I may not the best person in what I do, but I’m always at my best in what I do”. How about that, a motivational statement and lame excuse rolled into one!
La rentrée means back to school in French. Don’t ask me to pronounce it – I murder spoken French pretty well.
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